Classically Savvy

Act II – The Countess’s chambers

#10 Aria: Porgi amor – Alone, the Countess mourns, and asks love to soothe the pains of her heart, which has been broken by the Count’s disinterest.

Recit: Susanna tells the Countess of the Count’s visit to her. The Countess explains, “The modern husband is systematically unfaithful, genetically fickle.” But she notes that Figaro alone could…

She doesn’t finish her thought, because Figaro enters at that moment. He jokes that there’s nothing to worry about; after all, the droit de Seigneur is “most possible and most natural.” The women ask how he can joke about such things, to which he responds it’s good that he can joke about it. He hatches the plan (Note: this is the key to the opera; if you miss it, you’ve got a LONG two hours of confusion ahead of you!)

Figaro has sent an anonymous letter to the Count, alerting him that the Countess will be meeting another man in the garden that evening. The Count will become so jealous that he will forget about trying to stop Figaro and Susanna’s wedding.

Additionally, they will publicly embarrass the Count — Susanna will accept the Count’s proposal to meet in the garden. Cherubino will go instead, dressed as Susanna, and then he Countess will expose them. The Count “will be made to do whatever she wants.” Figaro goes to get Cherubino.

The Countess expresses regret that Cherubino witnessed the Count’s overtures to Susanna. Cherubino comes in, and complains that he must leave his lovely godmother. The Countess asks to hear the song he has written, and Susanna accompanies him.

#11 Aria: Voi che sapete – Cherubino’s song is one of confusion. “You who know what love is, tell me, is this what I am feeling? It’s new to me. It fills me with desire, pleasure, pain, cold, fire; I sigh and groan, my heart races. I find no peace, but somehow, I enjoy this suffering.”

(Sidenote: In a master class with a renowned New York vocal coach, I observed a young mezzo-soprano sing this aria very prettily, but without much understanding of the text; so many mezzos get obsessed with “acting like a boy” that they miss the point of the aria, which is newfound sexuality. The coach said, “Look, do you know any teenage boys? Well, I have a teenaged nephew. Whenever I’m visiting, he’s always in the room with the door closed. Don’t think I don’t hear him in there sighing and groaning!” Graphic, perhaps, but these double entendres were very much part of Mozart and DaPonte’s collaborations!)

Recit: Susanna and the Countess begin to dress Cherubino. The Countess is hesitant — what if someone were to come in? Susanna says they’re doing nothing wrong, but she’ll close the door, nevertheless. Helping Cherubino remove his jacket, the Countess sees his commission, and also that the Count was in such a hurry to dismiss Cherubino, that he forgot the official seal.

#12 Aria: Venite, inginocchiatevi or the Dressing Aria – Susanna finishes getting Cherubino dressed, despite his obvious infatuation with the Countess. She says it’s no surprise that girls fall for him — he’s beautiful!

Recit: The women put the finishing touches on Cherubino, and the Countess notices the ribbon from her nightcap wrapped around his arm. He has used it as a bandage, claiming it has special healing properties. She sends Susanna to get another ribbon. When the Countess makes light of the situation, Cherubino begins to cry, and the Countess tries to console him. There is a knock at the door. The Count! The Countess knows that he has received Figaro’s letter by now, and that he will be suspicious. She shoves Cherubino in the closet, and lets the Count in.

When the Count asks why the door was locked, the Countess responds that Susanna had been trying on her wedding dress, but has left. Something falls in the closet, adding to the Count’s mistrust. When the Countess says it was Susanna, the Count says, “You told me she went to her room!” Susanna, meanwhile, comes into the room with something for Cherubino, but hides behind a screen before the Count notices her.

#13 Trio: Susanna, or via sortite – The Count demands that “Susanna” come out of the closet, but the Countess forbids it in the name of decency, since she is not completely dressed. The Count asks Susanna to speak since she can’t come out, but the Countess forbids it again. The Count and Countess warn one another, “Tread softly, let’s not start a scandal.”

Recit: The Count starts to yell for his servants to come help him break into the closet, but agrees to keep the matter private at the Countess’s request. He locks all the doors, and, believing the room to be secure, takes the Countess with him to get tools so he can break into the closet.

#14 Duet: Aprite, presto aprite - Susanna retrieves Cherubino from the closet, but since the doors are locked, they can’t escape. Cherubino has a flash of inspiration, kisses Susanna farewell, and jumps out the window.

Recit: Susanna watches Cherubino run away and then hides in the closet. The Count enters with the Countess and proclaims, “Everything is just as I left it.” He gives the Countess one last chance to open the closet. She decides to tell the truth, that she was preparing a joke for the evening’s festivities, and that Cherubino is in the closet. The Count flies into a rage — once again, he’s been crossed by Cherubino!

#15 Finale
Duet: Esci omai, garzon malnato - The Count demands that Cherubino come out; the Countess once again prevents it. She tries to calm him by preparing him for seeing Cherubino is bare-chested. The Count demands the key, but the Countess still refuses. He sings of his contempt for her, and she sings of her fear that his wrath will cause him to do something rash. The Count finally rushes at the closet door, intent on breaking it down and killing the page, but…

Trio: Signore, cos’è quel stupore? – Susanna opens the door, confounding both the Count and Countess. The Count gives a half-hearted apology for his words, but then plays the victim: “A game like this is nothing but cruelty!” After a brief scolding from the women, he thinks that he can get back into the Countess’s good graces with an “I love you.”

The Countess now has the upper hand, and she finally is able to confront the Count for his unfaithfulness: “This is the reward of a loving soul?” The Count pleads with her, and calls her by her given name, “Rosina!” which sets the her off; she gave up her name for the title of the Countess, but for what? Not hearing her, the Count asks, “What was all that about the Page? Why were you trembling? What was that letter about?” The women let slip that Figaro wrote the letter, but when he starts to get angry again, they say they will only forgive him if he forgives Figaro.

The Count finally gives in, seeming genuinely penitent. The Countess can no longer maintain the angry facade, and all three sing of the “new start” for the couple. However…

Quartet: Signori, di fuori - Figaro enters, reigniting the Count’s anger. The Count confronts Figaro about the letter, but Figaro claims to know nothing about it. The Countess and Susanna prompt him, which leads the Count to suspect that he is lying; Figaro still maintains that he knows nothing. When it is evident that the Count has no solid evidence against them, Figaro urges that they go ahead with the wedding. The Count has no reason to stop them, until…

Quintet: Ah, Signor – The drunken gardener, Antonio, appears unexpectedly, complaining that someone jumped from the balcony, breaking his carnations. He finally letting on that he thought was Cherubino. Figaro says he was the one who jumped because the Count’s shouting from the next room frightened him, and sprained his ankle (which he unconvincingly begins to fake).

Antonio holds up a paper that he found in the carnations, but the Count intercepts it, recognizing it at once as Cherubino’s commission. After sending Antonio away, he demands an explanation. The women also recognize it, and between they help Figaro come up with a plausible explanation: Cherubino left the commission with Figaro because it needed an official seal. The Count has lost the upper hand yet again. Or so it seems…

Sextet: Voi, Signor, che giusto siete – Marcellina, Don Bartolo, and Don Basilio enter and urge the Count to hear Marcellina’s case against Figaro. The Count is relieved, and despite the protests of Figaro, Susanna, and the Countess, he agrees to make sure the contract is valid. The Count and his three cronies praise “whichever god has brought them together,” while the Countess and the couple condemn “whichever devil” has interfered.

Copyright Paul Hindemith, 2006.  This material may not be reproduced for profit in any way without the express permission of the author.